The bloc is expected to announce its strategy to further reduce energy purchases from Russia after the Kremlin attempted to blackmail European governments by sharply cutting gas deliveries following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The report noted that the EU’s reliance on Russian gas fell from more than 40% of total supplies before the full-scale war to about 19% last year, and the bloc plans to continue reducing its imports.
“This creates space in the market for imports from other suppliers and new opportunities for the United States,” said European Council President Antonio Costa.
The measures come as the EU studies a possible trade deal with the United States to resolve a mounting tariff war. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Europe to buy more U.S.-sourced energy to avoid tariffs. Currently, the United States is Europe’s third-largest supplier of gas.
Although the European Commission is leading trade negotiations with the United States, decisions on signing new LNG contracts remain with individual companies, which are in turn shaped by market conditions and pricing. Costa noted that many European companies still hold long-term contracts with Russia.
“The political signal from the commission is that there are strong reasons for European companies to seek competitive prices in the United States,” he added.
“There is a significant opportunity to increase LNG imports from the United States.”
The roadmap being developed in Brussels aims to provide European companies with tools to break long-term contracts with Russia. The commission is considering recommending EU-wide trade measures such as quotas or tariffs.